Boss says it was good for the players to get their views out in the dressing room following Swindon defeat.

Steve Davis admits that he is having to manage different players in different ways as he tries to entice the best out of them during the second half of the season.

The Alex boss says man-management is crucial when you struggling at the wrong end of the table and his style has already seen us survive the drop into League Two on the final day of the last two seasons.

Steve says that he has to understand what motivates his players and says it is important how he and his staff react when confidence can be fragile.

The Crewe boss admitted to expressing some honest truths in the dressing room following our 4-3 defeat at Swindon on Saturday.

He told crewealex.net: “You have to respect every player individually. They can respond to different things and it is important that you continue to show that belief in them.

“Some like to have an arm around them and others can take a heavy amount of criticism on the chin and respond to that. It is about knowing the players and how they react.

“We do things in the right way and we had a frank and honest talk after the Swindon game. We asked for their thoughts and got some positive feedback because we know there are a number of young lads in the group and they can be quiet. That was a step in the right direction.

“There were a lot of words said and I was honest and straight talking. I cannot blow smoke up their backsides every week and I’m sure there were a few who were not happy with our honest assessment but they have to cope with that and respond in the right way.

He added: “We were forthright with them because this is a tough sport and I hope it will see a reaction from some of them.”